Welcome to the Attic, where Bigfoot Exists…

That’s right boys and girls, the Dark Princess is covering a Bigfoot film, it was bound to happen. I’ve always had a fascination with the many tales of a giant, ape-like creature that is just smart enough to evade capture or detection for all this time. It’s one of the many unknowns that nerds around the world want to believe in. Unfortunately, there aren’t many good movies on the subject. But I really liked Exists.
The movie is distributed by Lionsgate, and is directed by Eduardo Sanchez who co-directed The Blair Witch Project with Daniel Myrick. It is somewhat of a found footage film, in that the scenes are filmed by the characters, with small handheld (and GoPro) cameras. But it doesn’t abuse this tactic, and I really like that. Sure there are some shaky moments, but for the most part, they don’t use a shaking camera as a ploy to unnerve you. The monster itself takes care of the fear aspect all on its own.

The story is set around a group of friends that head out to the woods. One of the guys is taking them to a cabin of his uncle’s, where they plan to goof off and have fun. As it turns out the cabin is a lot more decrepit than he let on. It is filled with dust and has clearly been abandoned for years. We learn that the uncle had seen something out there that spooked him enough he decided to never return. Their cabin is such a mess that they spend the first night in the car.

The next night, they are sitting around hanging out in the cabin when they begin to hear frightening and unusual sounds in the distance. Huddled up together, they wait out the terrifying attack on their cabin. Something giant and ruthless tries every way it can to get inside. Later, they run to their car parked not far outside, and they find it completely destroyed. They are stranded there. With no other option, they must barricade themselves into the cabin, and hope to survive with little supplies or weapons. As you might expect, they don’t stay there for the entirety of the movie, and I really liked that things don’t go too over-the-top.

Things go from creepy to scary to downright nerve wracking. I’ll admit that I was very on edge watching this movie. I’ve seen a couple of Bigfoot movies before, but none were this in-your-face and intense. I was cringing watching the lead-up to the conclusion. I was really rooting for these people to make it. Do they? The answer most likely won’t surprise you, but the very ending will. I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. Yes, it’s another found footage type, with a bunch of kids just asking for it, but the film itself was incredibly scary and intense. It’s a fun ride you won’t soon forget. I, for one, will not go camping any time soon.

Stay scared,
Dark Princess